O'Brien cautiously confident after City of Troy learns Breeders' Cup draw
Four-time Group 1 winner will start from stall three in Saturday's $7million showpiece on the Del Mar dirt
City of Troy and work rider Rachel Richardson enjoyed a morning canter at the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar (Racing Post Photos)
He’s got a lot to overcome but we think he’s the best horse we’ve ever had. It’s a dream but they don’t always come true do they? - Aidan O'Brien
Aidan O’Brien isn’t one for swaggering confidence but he is certainly keeping the faith at the Breeders’ Cup, writes James Toney.
Only one European horse has ever won the world’s greatest weight-for-age dirt race, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and this is O’Brien’s 18th attempt to put the prize in his cabinet, Henrythenavigator's second in 2008 his best return.
But when his Coolmore connections snatched the breeding rights to American Triple Crown winner Justify, the hope was always his progeny would deliver at the Classic.
Fast forward six years and all that planning, plotting and preparation will be decided in just two blink and you'll miss it minutes at Del Mar.
City of Troy was drawn in stall three for Saturday’s $7million showpiece, a gate that hasn’t been home to the winner since 1998.
That lowly draw means a quick break will be absolutely essential for the four-time Group One winner. Any idling from the off will end this audacious bid at the starting bell but trends are still encouraging for Ballydoyle. Knicks Go won the Classic when it was last staged in Del Mar from stall four and five of the last ten winners were drawn between two and five, while eight of the last ten were drawn in single figures.The #GreenTeam from @Ballydoyle reporting for duty @BreedersCup #BC24pic.twitter.com/IxlejpB15c
— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) October 29, 2024
“He did a gentle canter and everything went very well,” said O’Brien, as City of Troy, who’d spent Sunday and Monday in quarantine after flying in from Shannon, stretched his legs with work rider Rachel Richardson in the saddle.
“We’re happy with the draw, there’s no secret, we’ll go forward and see what happens, then Ryan (Moore) will decide what to do.
"I think the draw is a good one, you’d rather be inside than outside. The danger when you’re drawn low is if you are not quick enough they might fall on top of you, because the races here are fierce and the American horses are so quick away.
“We’ve looked under every stone we can and we think we’ve done as much as we can. This was the dream when the boss went and got Justify, to have a horse that can perform on grass and dirt. Justify was the most incredible horse, a brilliant Triple Crown winner, and City has a lot of his qualities.
“However, this is the fiercest race for any thoroughbred. I think this is the ultimate test at this time of year, taking on older horses, on a different surface, on a different continent. It’s not meant to be easy but we’ve prepared him as well as we can.
“He’s got a lot to overcome but we do think he’s the best horse we’ve ever had. It’s a dream but they don’t always come true do they? It’s been a long road here but we are here now and we are all very excited."
City of Troy’s Classic bid remains the talk of Del Mar - believers and non-believers seemingly splitting equally - but O’Brien has plenty of other chances to add to his tally of 18 wins at horse racing’s World Championships, including Lake Victoria, the red-hot favourite for Friday’s Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Read more: O'Brien is confident ahead of City of Troy's race into the unknown
O’Brien’s first runner at the Breeders’ Cup was Second Empire in 1998, Johannesburg delivered him his first winner three years later and Auguste Rodin his most recent, claiming the Turf 12 months ago.
Two wins in the days ahead - Ballydoyle boasts entries in seven races - and O’Brien could move beyond veteran trainer D Wayne Lukas as the meeting’s most successful trainer, a remarkable return for an overseas handler against the best of the USA on their home soil.